a chilling wave of crime, South Africa was rocked by three brazen cash-in-transit (CIT) heists in a single day on Thursday, March 5, 2026, leaving communities on edge and authorities scrambling.
The first attack unfolded just after 9 AM on the N1 highway near Johannesburg. Armed robbers in a silver bakkie rammed a Fidelity security van, firing high-calibre rifles that shattered the windshield and sparked chaos. Guards returned fire, but the crew fled with an estimated R2 million in cash, abandoning their vehicle in Midrand. “It was like a war zone—bullets flying everywhere,” eyewitness Thabo Mthembu told reporters, his hands still shaking.
Hours later, around noon, panic gripped Cape Town’s busy R300 near Mitchells Plain. Assailants in a white Quantum taxi bombed the undercarriage of a G4S armoured truck, exploding it open amid a hail of gunfire. Two security guards were wounded, one critically with leg injuries, as robbers snatched R1.5 million and vanished into Khayelitsha township. Local councillor Zanele Nkosi decried the violence: “These syndicates are terrorizing our roads—families can’t even drive safely anymore.”
The day’s bloodiest strike hit Durban’s N2 at 3 PM. Masked gunmen ambushed a SBV truck, detonating explosives and unleashing an AK-47 barrage that injured three guards and a bystander. They escaped with over R3 million, torching their getaway car in Umlazi. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele confirmed: “We’re hunting a sophisticated network possibly linked to international syndicates.”
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni vowed a crackdown: “No stone unturned—these cowards will face justice.” With over R6.5 million stolen and five injured, South Africans demand action amid rising CIT attacks—up 25% this year per SAPS stats. As night fell, roadblocks dotted highways, but fear lingers: when will the next bomb drop?